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Messages - hollydog

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1
General Mach Discussion / Re: GANTRY RACKING
« on: February 01, 2012, 12:55:00 PM »
       Just read your thread about gantry racking, I have two screws with two steppers on my gantry with a notched belt connecting the two together both steppers are connected electrically in parrel  driven from one stepper board.  To actually set up the squareness on the x I turn one screw slightly measure across corners of a large engraved or proffiled cutout.  Notched belts can be joined to make any length you require but do loose a little strength. See Cambam one and all machine .

                                               Hope this may be of some help.
                                                     Hollydog

2
SmoothStepper USB / Re: Mach3 & Smoothstepper Satisfactory Outcome
« on: April 28, 2011, 02:40:19 PM »
Hello docrawfo,
                 These suppressors are only 0.1yf & 100 ohm in series across your switch open contact. Not knowing your country I would have thought that you could obtain them from the numbers. Its the back E.M.F. that causes the problem, possible another way when all else fails is to put a resistor of suitable wattage in series with the Transformer with a switch across the resistor to soft start and switch off. But be careful of the mains it can bite?  Pity you could not make the P.S.box metal.  In actual fact by running a long mains lead you are putting some resistance in circuit.
                                        Hollydog

3
SmoothStepper USB / Re: Mach3 & Smoothstepper Satisfactory Outcome
« on: March 16, 2011, 02:12:42 PM »
       Thanks for replies, niece one Jeff about tube wire, you always learn something every day. With my setup it its mostly start & stop of aux.gear. So for switch on use in series a typical thermistor  5-8 ohms at 4-5 amps  R.S. 516-7811 8R-4A  or  R.S. 516-7827  10R-5A  with the relay contacts.   For off use Farnell 143-8457 contact suppressors across the relay contact.   These come with a reasonable length lead to fit across a octal screwed base .
                                  One other tip if you are running a Industrial type vacuum cleaner with its own motor cooling fan on 240v. put a 240V - 110V transformer between, its certainly cuts down the noise level and still has plenty of suction.
                                              Regards    Hollydog    

4
SmoothStepper USB / Mach3 & Smoothstepper Satisfactory Outcome
« on: March 10, 2011, 02:30:51 PM »
    Having just read the thread we have just been through this procedure with a satisfactory outcome. Initial problems where switching on a florescent tube, tool grinder, clicking stop button on Mach3 the U.S.B. Led would go out, pro gramme not responding. Only way out to reload windows & start agn. The mains power supply was fed from the house. Having 3 phase in the workshop  a new supply for the computer was installed from L1 this used for the computer and stepper drives. The auxiliary relay box with its own P,S. fed from L3.    When switching off the same result. In my build a mains filter is fitted to each transformer supply also in series with the aux. relays a thermistor of 4-5 amps current  with a 100 ohm & 0.1 across the contacts( Mill, Vacuum waste, Vacuum table. ).
               Using the computer case as a central point, connect an earth wire to the smooth stepper metal box, stepper P. S. and drives.   In my case removing the smooth stepper C4 & R5 made no difference. A new U.S.B.  cable was fitted but no difference . Fitting a suppressor across the manual switch cured the tool grinder,the motor being a capacitor start motor, before when switching off, would knockout Mach3  you could even see this on the red disc drive l.e.d. One mod worth doing is fitting a 25- 50 mf. condenser across the common feed going to the smooth stepper end of travel limits input. When these micro switches where gently tapped with a handle of a screwdriver out goes Mach3  so with the mill & steppers in operation a small amount of vibration could  cut mach3.
              Its a job to quantify but the main improvement in my case was fitting earth leads from the computer case to each item, mach3 would still knock out but the Red U.S.B. flashing feed light still good.   Fitting the suppressors across switchable items cured the crashes , its now a reliable machine.  
      
                

5
FAQs / Re: PCB Boards
« on: April 03, 2010, 07:51:49 AM »
Many thanks Tweakie best site I have  found  for a long time. I have built a Gantry machine working area 18" x 24" have it engraving and making cogs.
                   Many thanks for your help.
                       Hollydog.

6
FAQs / PCB Boards
« on: March 18, 2010, 08:26:34 AM »
PCB`S is it possible to scan in a simple one sided board from black and white paper print out and with a suitable programme machine with mack3. I do not want to design the board in eagle etc.
                                               Hollydog

7
FAQs / Re: Engraving at an angle
« on: March 03, 2010, 02:39:24 PM »
               SUCCESS, SUCCESS. What a fault to find but my Wizard friend found the problem. After trying two parallel control boards & smooth stepper all gave similar results engraving to the right and Z going down slightly over approx. 100mm.  To check for faults  steppers were changed over, drivers changed over, still the same fault. Changing over to USB enabled more flexibility with computers but the real fault was with the three steppers drivers ( All three faulty ) . Replacing a complete set curred all problems. Mach3 now controls perfectly. Sings like a bird through the programme. Now for me its real learning time being able to drive the machine programmes.
                                 Hollydog

8
General Mach Discussion / Re: strange step loss.
« on: January 26, 2010, 03:27:54 PM »
Hello Bazza,
               Yes you are thinking the same as we the only way to run mach3 is with usb and the smooth stepper also the C25 board, when trying with a labtop and smoothstepper system it really sounded right on and correct. So have ordered both items, looking at the info there is some very clever filters etc. in the circuitry. Although there is probley thousands of machine working satisfactory on parrel mine will not so again waiting for the postman.

9
General Mach Discussion / Re: strange step loss.
« on: January 24, 2010, 09:41:31 AM »
Hello bazza, sounds like the same trouble as I am having, see engraving at an angle. Await third control board setup.

10
FAQs / Re: Engraving at an angle
« on: January 19, 2010, 01:22:33 PM »
Fitted another manufactures control board. You can brobley guess what, exactly the same.
       So lets define the problem when engraving from A TO B  goes  off at angle also the Z alters in height.  This is quite repeatable. So now we have tried 3 computers ,2 control boards all give similar results. The steppers even on the XYZ buttons seem a little rough.   I am not a computer expert but know a man who is so lets call him the Wizard who brought along a labtop PC with a USB output and control board.  SURPRIZE, SURPRIZE on connecting up the steppers sang like a bird cycling through the programme and completely overcame my problems. One instantly new they were working correctly, so not to jump to conclusions YET.  We need to reconnect my drives and eventally configure USB on the main computer. Please be patient the final solution is near.

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